North of São Paulo

This week-long tour, drive us across the highlands of Itatiaia, covering an altitudinal range from 700 to 2500m high, then moving downwards the Serra do Mar mountains to Mambucaba and Ubatuba for productive exploration of the lowland bird comuunity including many atlantic forest endemisms.

  Day 1 - 3 hours drive to Itatiaia National Park and introductory birding
 Day 2- Full day exploring the trails of the lower Itatiaia NP
 Day 3 – Full day exploring the Agulhas Negras Road in the higher Itatiaia NP
Day 4 – Morning birding in Itatiaia and drive to Mambucaba
Day 5 – Morning birding in Mambucaba, lunch in Paraty and birding north of Ubatuba
Day 6 – Birding in Ubatuba, within Serra do Mar State park, and afternoon feeders delight
Day 7 – Full day birding other spots in the lowland, hillside and submontane forest aroun Ubatuba
Day 8 – Move back to São Paulo after early birding, and stop in Salesópolis for birding in the marshs and lunch

 Our first destination in the pleasant Itatiana National Park, after a 3 hours drive from São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro airports. The first national park created in Brazil, is a superb park (12,000 ha) 257km east of São Paulo, which protects subtropical and temperate forest, with large stands of giant bamboo, as well as high grasslands on the slopes of some of Brazil's highest mountains.  This National Park is a must for any birder in search of the Brazil's endemics, its list of over 270 species includes many of them. We will be instaled in a cozy lodge with a panoramic view witihin the lower part of the Park, near the headquarters and Visitors. The feeders at the breakfast balcony give us great opprtunities for observation and photography of many special endemic beauties such asSaffron Toucanet (Pteroglossus bailloni), Red-breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus),Marron-bellied Parakeet (Pyhrrura frontalis) and Frilled Coquette (Lophornis magnificus). At night, the guttural call of the Tawny-browed Owl (Pulsatrix koeniswaldiana) can be heard around the dining room. 

           We will spend our first full day here exploring the lower part of the park where our lodge is strategically located in the middle of a excellent birding area. A complex trail system provides acces to a wide selection of  forest fisionomies, including bamboo stretches. Key birds include Black-billed Scythebill (Campylorhamphus falcularis), White-bearded Antshrike (Biatas nigropectus), Giant Antshrike (Taraba major), Bertoni´s Antbird (Drymophila rubricollis) and Squamate Antbird (Myrmoderus squamosus). 

              Next day we will be out to a dirt road that leads to the third highest peak in Brazil (Agulhas Negras,  rises to 2,787m/8,490 ft) that allows bird watching in the montane forests around 1800m high, where we find Rufous-tailed Antbird (Drymophila genei), Rufous-tailed Antthrush (Chamaeza ruficauda), Rufous-winged Antvireo(Dysithamnus xanthopterus), Bay-chested Warbling-Finch (Poospiza thoracica), Buff-throated Warbling-Finch (Poospiza lateralis),Diademed Tanager (Stephanophorus diadematus), Golden-winged Cotinga (Tijuca condita), White-rumped Hawk (Parabuteo leucohrrous). As we follow up the road, the forest slowly give place to a scrubbland with scattered trees, habitat to a whole endemic bird community, including Thick-billed Saltator (Saltator maxillosus), Araucaria Tit-spinetail (Leptasthenura setaria), Velvety Black-tyrant (Knipolegus cyanirostris), Shear-tailed Gray-tyrant (Muscicipra vetula) and the very local Itatiaia Spinetail(Asthenes moreirae).
         After two full days to clean up most of the montane and submontane specialities, we have a whole morning to work again at the lower part of the aprk and surroundings. After a recharging brake for our vast buffet lunch we head down to the city of Angra dos Reis, in the Mambucaba beach. with very well preserved lowlands in the foothills of Bocaina National Park, where lives one the rariest birds in Brazil, the very local and critically endangered Black-hooded Antwren (Formicivora erythoronotos).  Besides the unique chance of seeing the Antwren , the area provides the opportunity to meet with a multitude of species of our bird fauna associated with forests of coastal southeastern lowlands, with many endemic species , threatened and rare in other locations. One full morning is enough to cover the best birding areas and we leave the location with time for lunch in the historical city of Paraty, which center is fullfilled of old buidings preserved as a architectural and historial heritage by the brazilian government.
       After lunch, a scenic drive thru the coast will bring us to city of Ubatuba for a 3 night stay, with stops in the way for birding in marshs and restingas between Paraty and Ubatuba.  In a coastline of over 100 km long, with over 80% of it´s territory preserved holding the third largest bird list between Brazilian cities, with over 450 sp., Ubatuba has some of the most beautiful and undisturbed beachs and forest remnants of southeastern Brazil and many ornithological treasures. By hiking in preserved and safe areas within the State Park or surrounding areas, you can observe and record some rarities of the Atlantic forest, and be delighted by the colorful tanager and hummingbird´s show! Beyond that, the region presents other interesting habitats that can be explored, such as mangroves, beaches and others sea-associated environments. Key birds includeBuff-throated Purpletuflt (Iodopleura pipra), Saw-billed Hermit (Ramphodon naevius), Fork-tailed Pigmy Tyrant (Hemitriccus furcatus), Spot-backed Antvireo (Dysithamnus stictothorax), Scaled Antbird (Drymophila squamata), Unicolored (Myrmotherula unicolor) and Salvadori´s Antwren (Myrmotherula minor).  From Ubatuba, one can explore the montane and submontane forests of the friendly small town of São Luiz do Paraitinga, some 30km away, in the tophill of the Serra do Mar, where more than 340 species has been recorded.
        In our last day, we will leave after breakfast towards São Paulo, with a first stop at a mangrove south of Ubatuba where we can add some waders and herons to our list and maybe find the endemic Little Wood-Rail (Aramides mangle). Further we come across the marshs of Salesópolis searching for the recently described, critically endangered and very local São Paulo Antwren (Formicivora paludicola), the only endemic species of São Paulo state that inhabits the area. Besides the Antwren, the marshs can bring us some surprises and other possibilities include the Long-tailed Reed-finch (Donacospiza albifrons), the Yellow-rumped Marshbird (Pseudoleistes guirahuro), Orange-breasted Thornbird (Phacellodromus ferrugineigula) and Rufous-Sided Crake (Laterallus melanophaius). Nearby, we can also observe theRufous-capped Antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapilla), the Blue-winged Parrotlet (Forpus xanthopterygius), the Red-breasted Toucan (Ramphastos dicolorus), Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco), Curl-creasted Jay (Cyanocorax cristatellus), White-eared Puffbird (Nystalus chacuru) and other typical species in wooded open areas of the southeast Brazil. After lunch in Salesópolis we move back to São Paulo.